Outdoor recreation

I feel the same way about the Western foothills of Maine, where I'm the chamber director for the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce, and we represent 13 communities out here.

When Patrick was asking you about job availability prior to our break, what does it also mean when it comes to, and you spoke about COVID and you spoke about the kind of the aftermath of COVID.

And one of the things that I heard from people that I work with that are involved in some of the outdoor recreational parts of living here in the state of Maine.

More people want to spend more time outside.

More people want to be involved in what is going outside.

oh yeah so this is bethany who's our vp of sales yes she is from nashville but lives in alabama so she's got a very southern accent

she has but you know what her session at the itq was brilliant because one thing that this always reminds me of this now with contiki outdoors She's like, don't try and sell the holiday that you love because not everybody loves that and you might put people off.

And I always think this when I see Contiki Outdoors, I'm like, oh, that's a bit of me.

But I can imagine this isn't everyone's cup of tea.

But it is, again, if you love a bit of adventure, you want to you don't just want to see a mountain, you want to hike up to the top and back again.

You want to do more outdoors adventures, some more bike riding, paddle boarding, anything that's kind of sporty based, Contiki Outdoors.

So we've got that for those customers.

And then we've got our festivals, Contiki festivals.

Yes, we do.

We have a magazine every quarter, which is a national magazine called Walk, and that has a lot of debate in it about the campaigns the Ramblers are running, as well as reviews of walks around the UK.

There's always about five or six walks that people can follow.

They're based on Ordnance Survey maps, so they're from all over the country.

And readers – the thing now is to get readers involved with saying what's the best place to walk and even the best tea shop to go to and things like that to get people out into the countryside and the visitor economy taking part in that.

So there's lots of ideas in that magazine.

Plus, of course, there's the Country Walking magazine and other magazines about walking which are available generally on the newsagent shelves, yes.

And we're going to look into some of those a little bit later

We practiced useful words like path, view, peaceful, refreshing, branch, wildlife, observe, shade, trail, tent, landscape, sunset, fresh air, disturb, route, and notice.

We also talked about outdoor activities like hiking, camping, having a picnic, taking photos, watching wildlife, and simply sitting somewhere quiet.

We practiced useful sentences like, I love spending time in nature.

The view is beautiful from here.

Yes.

We're gonna kick off with some Government Hates the Outdoors.

We're gonna go into Backpack or Send It Back, Hiker News, Animal Encounters, and then we're gonna end with what is becoming a new segment I think I'm gonna have to create a segment video for, and that is Jeremiah's Neighbor Updates.

[laughs] Yes.

Unfortunately so.

Um, but like I said, we gotta kick this thing off.

Let's kick off with a little bit of, uh, The Government Hates the Outdoors.

[upbeat music] Why does the government hate the outdoors?

Proposition 137 would shift about $175 million a year from the general fund.

Proposition 137, which would send state sales tax on sporting goods to conservation, wildfire, and outdoor recreation funds starting July 1, 2027, has no provision letting lawmakers reduce the transfer to balance the budget.

A power Proposition 123, the 2022 housing measure, gives them.

In years when state revenue exceeds the limit set by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, TABOR, the transfer would reduce taxpayer refunds.

Proposition 137 would move an estimated $175.0 million out of Colorado's General Fund to Conservation, Wildfire, and Outdoor Recreation funds in the 2027-28 budget year, according to the Fiscal Impact Statement prepared by Legislative Council staff, LCS.

LCS estimates the transfer at $180.2 million in 2028-29, with similar amounts in later years.

The State Treasurer would make the transfer every July 1st beginning in 2027. and the measure sets no dollar cap, no phase-in, and no end date.

Its only reduction, available from the 2028 to 29 budget year on, applies if exempting the full amount from the state revenue limit would shrink the family affordability tax credit or the earned income tax credit.

And now we have our own groups and you have all of these fantastic affinity groups for whatever is your flavor to hike, to kayak, to camp.

And you couldn't say that 10 years ago.

Tell me about the diva in Outdoorsy Diva and why that's such an important part of your personal brand.

I am a walking oxymoron.

You cannot put me in a box.

I'm going to surprise you every single time.

The Outdoorsy first is because I am not a hardcore survivalist type of outdoor chick.

That's not me.

That is perfect, Emma, because today we will learn simple English for talking about in October.

We will talk about cooler weather, changing leaves, fall clothes, seasonal food, outdoor activities, Halloween, weekend plans, and useful phrases for describing what October is like.

David, before we start today's episode, we have a quick announcement, right?

Yes, Emma.

I like making tea, turning on a lamp, and reading for a while.

That sounds very cozy.

David, what are some good outdoor activities in October?

Walking, hiking, biking, visiting parks, and taking photos can all be nice when the weather is comfortable.

What is Kalsarikännit? Thanks for asking.

Regular listeners will be familiar with a number of Scandinavian lifestyle trends by now, given that we've discussed the likes of Denmark's Hygge, Sweden's Lagom, and Norway's Friluftsliv on the show in the past.

Today we're going to talk about a custom from Finland which has gained international recognition in recent years.

Kalsarikännit is made up of two Finnish words, kalsari, which means underwear, and kännit, which means getting drunk.